Monday, June 30, 2014

Florida Judge Tosses George Zimmerman’s Defamation Suit Against NBC

Judge Debra S. Nelson

“There exists absolutely no clear and convincing evidence that defendants knew that the information published was false at the time it was published, or recklessly disregarded the truth or falsity of those statements,” wrote Judge Debra S. Nelson. She also ruled that against contentions in Zimmerman’s complaint that he suffered emotional distress as a result of the NBC News reports.

WaPo provides the background of the NBC distortions that the judge somehow failed to notice:

At issue in the case were several broadcasts from NBC News that edited the 911 call that Zimmerman had made not long before shooting Trayvon Martin on the night of Feb. 26, 2012 in a subdivision in Sanford, Florida. As a result of edits by NBC News, Zimmerman sounded as if he had volunteered that Martin is black. The full tape reveals that he was asked by the dispatcher whether the person he was following was “white, black or Hispanic?” Zimmerman’s complaint contends that NBC News knowingly misportrayed Zimmerman...